IT was no pain no gain for an inspirational Greenock woman who completed a extreme endurance challenge in memory of her dad.

Muddy lakes and huge cargo nets were just two of the tricky obstacles Shona Darroch tackled to complete the Tough Mudder 5k event.

The determined 39-year-old, who lives in Kingston Dock, signed up for the challenge in aid of Ardgowan Hospice, which supported her father Ronnie Guthrie before he passed away at the age of 70 after a brave battle against prostate and bone cancer.

Shona, who completed the event with her colleagues from Castle Precision Engineering, where she works as an HR manager, managed to raise £1,220 for the hospice and says all the bruises and cracked ribs were well worth it.

She said: "It was more mentally challenging than it was physically as the obstacles are quite intimidating.

"The whole point is that it's a team effort - your team stays together.

"The first people in the team who are in front wait to help you - it's a team effort.

"I feel surprised to raise such a lot."

Shona says raising money for the hospice is her way of giving something back after the care and support they provided.

She said: "My dad died in August 2017.

"He was really funny, very quiet and a total gentleman.

"Right up until his final days, he didn't want to be a hassle.

"He was a really lovely man.

"The hospice were a great help especially the transport service who got him up to the Beatson.

"The doctors at the hospice also helped him with his treatment.

"I think every family has been touched by cancer and the hospice has helped them in some way."

Shona says that Tough Mudder is something that she would never have contemplated until she started getting fit at The Badass Rules - a health and wellbeing programme run by Jules Duncan at JC Fitness Studio in Greenock and online.

She said: "When my dad died, I decided to get my act together with my fitness, what I was eating and all that stuff.

"Exercise is so good for your mental health as well as it makes you happy."

Shona, who has dropped from a size 20 to a size 14-16, hopes to inspire others to get fit and raise money for charity.

She said: "Hopefully I can inspire some folk to get fit."

Alex Mula, fundraiser at Ardgowan Hospice, said: "Shona is really inspirational and has raised so much.

"That money could pay for two nights of dedicated care in our in-patient unit."